Percussion drill feed means



Sept. 2, 1947. v. E. HASTINGS I PERCUSSION DRILL F-EED MEANS 4 Original Filed April 5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l n J MIME/V7016 J 9 v. E. HASTINGS 2,426,686

PERCUSSION DRILL FEED. MEANS Original Filed April 5, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W a i 1 I 4 l j E. E p/ l l z'cfirfif/aszz'n 5, 2 I J ,zg wamgfg J UP I mam,

Patented Sept. 2, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

3 Claims.

This discovery is in the art of deep well drilling and the concept is, particularly, in hydraulic means for advancing percussion bit means as the hole is bored down.

Churn or percussion drills employ a heavy, elongate shank with one or another kind of cutter on its lower end. The instant invention concerns a churn bit which is reciprocated by immediately adjacent motor means which must be lowered step by step during the drilling operation to follow the leading bit. Whatever the type of this locally placed motor means must be provided whereby it can be at all times under reliable control, first to hold the motor against rotation, and secondly to solidly sustain the motor at all levels of work, and thirdly to gradually lower the motor as the bit deepens the hole.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical, reliable, low weight electric cable conduit and motor carrier hereinafter called the drill pipe, and an object is to provide automatic bit controlled means for advancing the drilling assembly, that is the pipe, the actuating motor, and the cutting bit step by step as the hole is cut deeper.

The instant motor feed or advancing means is shown as used in connection with what is known as a solenoid motor and with means for automaticallyrotating the bit during its, the bits, operation. The present feed means not only lowers the motor automatically but also holds the bit turning means against rotation from any cause, as very clearly distinguished from proposed use of cables, as known in the patent art, to suspend and lower bit and motor assemblies.

It is an object of the invention to provide a churn drill assembly and control and lowering means therefor that, consideration being had for the several functions, is of simple and rugged construction, that is economical of power and time, and of manual labor, that eliminates many objections to currently used forms of churn drills, that is not of undue cost of construction, that involves structural features easily repairable or obtainable in nearly all field markets in the industry and are of such weights, in piece elements, as to be readily portable into diflicult terrain.

The invention consists in certain advancements in this art, for the'purposes set forth and adaptations thereof, as ensuingly disclosed, and having with the above, additional objects and advantages hereinafter developed, and whose constructions, combinations'and sub-combinations, and details of means, and the manner of operation will be made manifest in the description of the v is a mid-length, cross-section of the said valve.

Figure 4 is a diagram of the circuit foran electric motor related to the head works, pipe controlling means. Figure 5 is an axial section of the stationary drill pipe to show location of the pipe control switch. Figure 6 is a cross-section on line 66, Figure 5, of means for holding the switch stem against rotation in the pipe, and Figure '7 is an axial section of a fragment of the pipe with the cross-head in elevation. Figure 8 is a cross-section on line 8-8, Fig. 5, of the switch device, for down feed of the pipe, operative by the switch stem. Figure 9 is an elevation of a portion of the stem to show the closer plate of the pipe control switch. Figure 10 is an axial section showing the contact blocks of the switch.

A hollow churn bit 2 is rigidly attached in suitable manner to the core 6 of a solenoid motor it which is rigidly attached to the lower portion of a substantial or rigid suspending column ll preferably hollow to form a conduit for an electric cable 48-49 and its sheath 50, as well as for serving water to the hole if desired. Means, not shown, are provided to positively rotate the core and the bit, whilst the motor is held solidly against rotation by the pipe column I I, which is suspended stationarily as will be described.

.It will be understood that when the solenoid motor I0 is intermittently excited electrically the core-and-bit device will be pulled up rapidly to a suitable degree in the pipe II and as the cur-' rent is broken the said device, preferably of considerable weight, will freely gravitate to make a cutting stroke; all as set forth in my application Ser. No. 481,937, filed April 5, 1943, and of which this disclosure is a division.

The drilling apparatus involves an electrical, control circuit and an object of the invention is that the circuit may be controlled directly by actions of the solenoid driven core-and-bit device incidental with the advance of the cutting bit by deepening of the hole. Therefore the upper end of the motor core 6, Fig. 5, is attached by a swivel 26 to the lower end of a tubular stem 2|. While the bit device is capable of desired rotation, the stem 2| is provided with a rigid cross-head 25; having lugs 26 longitudinally slidable in ways 2'! along the pipe bore face; thereby holding the stem from rotation but allowing it to axially reciprocate with the motor core.

It will be seen that the stifi, stationarily suspended tool pipe has no action, axial or rotary,

in so far as bit action isconcerned but serves the dual function of water conduit to the bit and as a stationary support for the solenoid motor it: As the hole fixed on its lower end, see Fig. 1. may be drilled to considerable total depth it is desirable to reduce dead weight and parts cost. Therefore the size of the pipe ma be reduced at a joint 43 and continued in reduced size, to the head works. the pipe chamber in which the stem 21 works to keep it free from water coming down the upper extension of the pipe H and flowing into the hollow stem, 7

As the drill bit cuts earth formation down in thehole the suspended pipe String must be gradually fed'down to lower the 'bit localized motor and the circuit control means and let the bit ing; At the-head of the hole is a motor controlled means, including a, hydraulic jack composed of avalved cylinder'and a piston therein and an automatic, bitcontrolled switch means is providedito control the jacktmotor and efiect'operation of the valve. There is shown fixed in the A packing gland is arranged in continue without interference in its work of drillpipe II a stationary contact device 45 having a pair of spaced blocks 46-41 insulated from the pipe and connected to the'cable wires @8'- i9 which lie inthe pipe.-

Fixed on the stem 2! at a position just above the cross-head 251s ahu-b 5! on which is insulatedly. fixed a contact shoe 52 which is adapted, as the bit cuts its way down the hole, to ultimatel comeinto engagement with the stationary contact blocks.464l arranged; in the assembly of the drill pipe, at the lower end of the stroke of the, shoe (for said ultimate engagement) and thereby close the circuit in the wiresltwl The-consequence ofthis is to energize an electric, rotary motor M which functions, by way of a speed reducinggear 53, to rotate a metering drum valve li thaving twin measuring compartments 54 5,5 with respective'narrow, elongate slots Elie- 5?! opening in longitudinally off-set relation at opposite peripheral sides of the drum. The drumis rotatively'fitted in a shell 53 having a bottom spill port 59- and a top; nipple 6E towhich is joined a down spout 5! leading from the bottom of adeepcylinder 62. Extending: up through i and packed, in the bottom of the cylinder isia hollow piston rod. 635 having at its upper end a fixed. piston head v6 3 packedopera-tively in the cylinder wall and forming a jack'head. The tool pipepart I I extends into" the hollow rod 63. and has a make-up joint 65, forming a part of a centeringthimble fifi resting centrally on the piston head and having lead branches 6'E$B for the electric cable of wires and for jointing of a,

' water "head may be used to raise the piston in 4 l the cylinder and thereby the tool pipe II. It' will be seen that as the normally stationary, suspended, non-rotary pipe I l is lowered by the jack piston as the valve 54 measures out the water the pipe electric contacts 4641 break engagement with the switch shoe 52 and the valve motor M will be stopped, as it will alsowhen the stem 2| is retracted by the solenoid motor l0. From time to time additional sections of pipe II will be strung in at the head works as depth of hole isvgained.

Asnthecore actuated bit 2 gradually cuts down the earth formation in the bottom of the hole the shoe eventually repeatedly closes the motor (M) circuit through the normally stationary, pipe-carried contacts 4641 with the result that the drum valve is rotated step by step to shift, say, port 57' of the empty chamber 54 from bottom position, Fig. 3, to upper or top position to' drain water by way of the nipple 60 from the cylinder ;62.to fill the chamber 54- and effect the lowering of the piston 64 one step. (measured by It will be seen that as soon as the port 51 beg-ins to'takein:

the volume of the chamber).

port 51 .at-its top position whilst the port'56'4' Briefly, the'p'iSt'OnMriS lowered each time a port 56 or 5! is brought to the topposition-v-byr rotation of the-drumyalve 54, and the motor M'is killed by descent of thepiston 6.4 withits pipe mounted contacts 4.6.4ltopu-t these contacts, well. below the instant lowest point in the path oftherecip- Further, the circuit.

rocating, ,drill stem hoe 52: of motor M is closed only-whenath'e core actuated bit 2 outs down far enoughv to allow theshoe 52 to again start its closely repeated icontacts with the contacts-AG-Alythe drilling motorlfl,

including its-core ti; and, the pipe H, with, said contacts all being carried and controlled byv the piston 64.. a

To remove the drill pipe-and the drill itis only necessary to hitch onthe usual head works,

elevator and pull up thejoint 65-todraw the pipe string out of the-piston-and break it down.

joint section :by section. If there'is enough water pressure in-thefeed pipe H it can-be used to elevate the piston todraw the drill pipe when it is to be broken down.

.sinceair, may. accumulate under'the piston, fromv valve 54, theair pip 164' is provided 'to' let off the air'from' time to time as the cylinderis filledwithafresh suppl ofwater for another controlled descent of the piston.

The measured volume cit-water taken alter-- nately-intothewcompartments of the valve '54;-

positively determine the step-by-step; descent of,

the pipe H; each step being Very muchmore than c the lengthy of 'the stationary contacts 46-41. The motor core 6- continuously reciprocates and ultimately brings the shoe 52-repeatedlyinto ens gagemen-twith the-contacts-46--4 1 whereby; the circuit of the jack motor M is intermittentlycompleted untilthe valve 54 makes; anew; half revolution. and a measured; chargerof 'water; is-

tapped fromthetank 621 to lower the drill the 7 H with its foot attached, solenoid motor "land 7 The consequence is that the by this action lower the contacts 46-41 well below the instant range of the core carried shoe 52. As the tapped water pours into the uppermost of the valve ports (56 or 51) air from the related compartment ascends into the tank and at the same time the waste load is spilled from the other compartment to the drain 59.

That is claimed is:

1. In a well drilling apparatus: a cylinder and a drilling piston supported and controllable by water in the cylinder, and means for intermittently drawing Water from the cylinder to lower the piston step by step during drilling; said means including a valve shell having vertically opposite ports for intake and spill of the water and a horizontal-axis drum valve provided with separate chambers having a pair of peripherally opposite ports repeatedly rotative into concurrent register with the upper and lower shell ports to alternately drain a measured volume of water from the tank and lower the piston a predetermined degree, and means controlled by the piston to rotate the valve and including a drum rotating motor, and a pipe column attached to and lowered by the piston and having a device to break the motor circuit as the piston descends.

2. In a well drilling apparatus: a cylinder and a piston carrying drilling means including a drill guide column, and which piston is controlled by water in the cylinder, and means for intermit tently drawing water from the tank to lower the piston step by step; said means including a valve shell having vertically opposite ports for intake and spill of water from the cylinder and a horizontal-axis drum valve having a plurality of measuring chambers which have diagonally opposite ports to be rotated into concurrent, register with the shell ports to take in a measured volume of cylinder water in one chamber whilst the other chamber is discharging to the outlet port of the shell, and a motor for rotating the drum valve in successive actions and having a circuit which is controlled by the piston carried column and includes switch contacts fixed on the column.

3. The apparatus of claim 1; and including means to replenish the exhausted cylinder below and for elevating the piston, and means for blowing off trapped air in the tank from time to time.

' VICTOR E. HASTINGS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

